


A Rose for Love

by pluto



Category: Mass Effect 2 - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-24
Updated: 2011-07-24
Packaged: 2017-10-21 17:29:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/227752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pluto/pseuds/pluto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jacob has a secret admirer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Rose for Love

**Author's Note:**

> Kinkmeme fill for this prompt:  
> Jacob always gets the shaft from the fanbase. How about a sweet, fluffy story between the two? We already know Kasumi digs him, maybe she steals him something nice. :3 can include sexy time or not, up to you anon!

When Jacob goes to his station in the armory that morning, he finds a red rose lying in front of his terminal.

He's beginning to wonder if some crewmembers haven't been up to something in the armory in the middle of the night when Shepard wanders in. He snaps to attention, realizes he has the rose still in hand, and furtively looks around for somewhere to hide it.

Too late.

"What's that you've got there?" Shepard says, lifting an eyebrow. "Romantic interludes this early in the morning, Mr. Taylor?"

"Sorry, Commander," he says. "Just found it lying here this morning. Thought maybe someone decided to have a little private time in here last night. Left it behind. Maybe Miranda should have a chat with the crew about proper protocol on the Normandy. Fraternization, and all that."

But she looks at the rose and he sees some understanding dawn on her. A slight smirk tugs her mouth off-center.

"Oh, I think it's all right if the crew has a little fun now and then. We're on a tough job. People need to relax."

He gives her a look, wondering if _she_ isn't responsible for the rose somehow--if maybe the rumors about her and the turian aren't more than just rumors, if maybe they were the ones to sneak into the armory for a little private time. The two do share an unhealthy affection for their guns.

Which is what she's come to talk about this morning: she goes over the equipment she wants to take down to the surface this mission, he cleans and checks over them with her, and forgets all about the rose.

#

The rose on his bunk is less subtle.

Even with shared quarters, it's hard to think that someone just left a rose on his bed by accident. Right on his pillow, no less. Jacob turns it in his fingers, the sturdy, thorny stem, the full and heavy red bloom of the flower. Someone must have a stock in stasis--roses aren't exactly easy to come by in the Terminus Systems. Which makes it even more bizarre that someone might be leaving them for him. He's starting to wonder if maybe Joker or Zaeed or someone isn't pulling his leg. An expensive joke, though.

On a whim he's put the first rose into a tumbler he salvaged from Gardner, sitting next to his terminal in the armory. He decides to walk this one up, as well.

On his way out of the quarters he runs into Miranda. She looks at the rose in his hand and looks extremely surprised.

"Gone courting, Jacob?" she asks, tilting her head, hand on her hip. He remembers the days when he'd bring her flowers, whole huge armfuls of them. Miranda would smile and tell him he was sweet, and things would usually end sweaty and exhausting and good for them both. But he'd always find the flowers in the trash later. She's sentimental, but only to a point.

"Found it," he says, but doesn't tell her where. But either she's a lucky guess, or she knows something, as she suddenly arches her brows and says,

"On your pillow?"

He feels his cheeks get hot and he feels a bit foolish. "First Commander Shepard, now you, with that look. What? What am I missing here?"

But her mouth curls in that infuriating little smirk and she just says "Oh, I'm sure you'll figure it out sooner or later," before she saunters off.

He tells himself he's getting revenge by getting a good eyeful of her ass, but for some reason today the sight falls flat, fails to thrill him. He can't help wondering what's up with these damn roses.

#

There's another one on his weights down in the cargo bay. When he sees it he groans a little.

"What's your problem?" Jack says, striding past him and picking up one of the weights.

"Well, for starters, you could ask to use my equipment." He says it without much conviction. He's too busy retrieving this third rose. He puts his nose in it. It still smells good.

"Whatever," Jack says. "Looks like you're too busy playing Romeo to pump up anyway." She hits him in the six-pack before she drops down on his weight bench. "Why don't you go pester your new girltoy and get out of my way?"

"I don't have a girl-- friend," he finishes, lamely.

"Fine. Boyfriend. Didn't know you swung both ways. You know, Zaeed--"

"Jack," he says, but she doesn't listen to him.

"--always said you looked like you could take a good pounding.'

"I just found the rose here," he says, more firmly. "It's probably not even meant for me."

She does her chest presses sloppily, too much force, not enough discipline. He'd offer to spot her, if he wasn't sure she'd just use the opportunity to kick him in the nuts and/or grope him.

"Ooooh," she grunts, between presses, "Jacob's--got--a--secret--admi--rerrr---"

Sometimes he wishes Commander Shepard would just take Jack over her damn lap and spank her--Oof, the thought goes places it shouldn't. Jacob looks down at the rose. He probably could use a bit of company. If he does have a secret admirer, he wishes she'd just out herself, already.

"Pretty obvious who it is, though," Jack says, sitting up.

He stares at her. "Who?"

Jack laughs in his face. "You're not serious."

"Dead serious. Who?"

"Oh, you're pathetic." She wipes her face on her arm. "Wonder what the hell she sees in you. Well, besides this." She gets up and grabs his ass.

Jacob sighs.

#

He finds the last rose sitting on the railing by the engine core. He wonders who the hell even knows he likes to come here. He's always enjoyed taking a few quiet moments when most of engineering's gone off shift, just listening to the Normandy. It's a good place to gather his thoughts. Tonight, not even Tali's at her post; he's got the bay all to himself. He twirls the rose between his fingers as he leans up against the railing. Thinks, nice as it is to be alone, he actually wouldn't mind some company other than EDI.

He wonders how he can catch his secret admirer. She has to want to be caught, hasn't she? What he needs is a cloak, like Kasumi's. Maybe he could recruit her to help him, have her keep an eye out, sneak around the ship and--

"Kasumi," he says, blinking, staring at the rose.

He hears the sound of a cloak dissipating, and her throaty, girlish laughter. "About time you figured it out." She's leaning right beside him, near enough to touch, almost. He barely keeps himself from jumping. Instead he just stares at her, completely at a loss for words. "Don't tell me you're not interested, after all this effort?"

"I, uh--"

She is beautiful. And brilliant, and clever, and a damn thief… Trouble with a capital T.

"Too bad," she purrs, taking the rose from his numb fingers and brushing it over his lips. "I really like you, Jacob. Thought we could get to know each other better, over drinks."

"Drinks?" he finds himself stupidly repeating.

She wrinkles her nose at him. God, she's cute. He tells himself he should say no. Fraternizing, trouble. His breakup with Miranda had been so messy. And a girl like Kasumi, she'd be no good for him, what would his mother think…? And then, he says: "Drinks. Yeah. Yes."

She laughs and grabs his hand, dragging him towards the elevator. He wonders what the hell he's doing, and then he doesn't care. Hell, the commander just told him he ought to relax. Maybe it'll turn out to be some good fun. Maybe it'll turn out to be even better.


End file.
